Grad Castle

Grad Castle stands on a steep hill of basalt tuff above the small settlement of Grad. Knights Templar are said to have origially built the castle. Thanks to archaeological excavations, we can date the medieval core of the building to the 11^th century. The extensive structure, which is today one of the largest baroque castles in Slovenia, was built over a period of eight hundred years, .

 

The castle’s present pentagonal shape dates to the 16^th century. After the attacks by the Turks and Kurucs and peasant uprisings had calmed down, the castle finally received a Baroque form with several arcades, a castle chapel and the bell tower. The noble  Amade family first managed the estate and the castle, and were succeeded by the famous Széchy, Batthyány, Nádasdy and Széchényi families. After the Hartner family, the castle lost itsrole as a representative residence. Its fate was sealed during World War II, when it was first occupied by the Red Army and later by the Yugoslav Army. Completely forgotten under the mighty trees in the castle park, it was revived after the first renovations in 1995.